1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a button structure for a timepiece and to a timepiece having this button structure. More specifically, the invention relates to a button structure for a timepiece having a button member that is operated by being pushed into the case member of the timepiece, and to a timepiece having this button structure.
2. Related Art
The buttons on a timepiece are generally configured to implement one function by pressing the button, but switch mechanisms for implementing two functions using a single button are also available. See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2005-214795 (page 3 and FIG. 1).
This type of timepiece switch mechanism uses a mechanism enabling a two-stage operation but from the outside appears the same as a button that has only a single stage operation, and the functionality of the button is therefore not readily apparent to the user. The first time a user operates this switch mechanism, for example, and sees the pushbutton exposed on the outside of the timepiece case member, it is difficult to visually determine whether the pushbutton has a single-stage operating mechanism or a two-stage operating mechanism, and timepiece operability is thus reduced.
A button structure for a timepiece and a timepiece having this button structure according to a preferred aspect of the invention enables the user to easily know visually and mechanically that the button is a mechanism enabling two kinds of input, and offers excellent operability.